


bare your heart, not your teeth

by OrangeMel



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Profanity, relationship tags will be added as the fic progresses, sticking mostly to game rather than anime canon, takes place 1 year before the events of SwSh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25755922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeMel/pseuds/OrangeMel
Summary: It's been thirteen years since Raihan left Galar at sixteen, striking out first to Unova and later Johto for training. He would've thought someone would have taken the Champion title from Leon by now, but hey; if no one else will do it, he will, and he's home just in time for the start of the gym challenge.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Hammerlocke (Home)

If one thing can be counted on in Galar to never change, Raihan thinks, it’s the train system- crowded, poorly ventilated, and cumbersome as the day he left thirteen years ago.

He’s being given some berth, at least, from the passengers around him. His height, probably, or the Pokemon egg he’d had to fight to carry with him onto the train to Hammerlocke, or some combination of the two. It means he has some space for his bags, but he’s also subject to stares from at least half a dozen other passengers, so. Win some lose some.

He’s missed the Opening Ceremony by a few days, travel time bogged down with obtaining all the necessary permits to transport the Pokemon he’d caught in Unova and Johto into Galar, where invasive species are a dime a dozen. He passes the time now rewatching the official video on his phone, Rotom helpfully pulling up articles and stats for the different gym leaders as they appear on screen.

Milo, Nessa, and Piers are in his own age group, give or take five years, and none of them slouches from what he’s seen. There’d been a hell of a lot of heated debate online when Piers refused to Dynamax at his first Champion Cup, Raihan recalls; it’s _still_ a heated debate, some people celebrating it as a ‘Spikemuth tradition’ and others simply calling it ‘old-fashioned’ and, more harshly, ‘stupid’.

Kabu and Opal are constants, familiar faces from well before he left for Unova. Opal’s looking for a successor to the Ballonlea gym according to word of mouth, which is interesting but not especially relevant to Raihan himself.

He spends a few moments admiring Kabu’s win-loss ratio- the Motostoke gym’s regarded as the first real hurdle in the challenge for a reason, and he doesn’t envy the man how busy he’ll be over the next few months fielding rookie challengers.

As of last year there’s three different gyms swapping out their leaders on an annual basis, the logistics of which make his head spin.

Allister and Bea are the youngest of any of the gym leaders, and both have proven themselves enough times over in battle to have quieted the naysayers that piped up when they first took the fourth gym seat. They alternate annually as acting leader, with Bea holding the seat this year.

Gordie’s been taking over more and more frequently as gym leader for Circhester over the last several years, in preparation for Melony ceding the seat permanently. _That_ particular announcement had led to damn near rioting, both online and on the streets. Gordie’s become a fan favorite in his own right, but Melony’s following is on an entirely different level, attributable both to her overwhelming strength and to her looks. Raihan’s looking forward to the chance to face off against her this year.

Leaving the best/worst for last, and the most outright confounding: the current duo occupying the Hammerlocke gym seat, brothers Sordward and Shielbert.

The internet had all but lost its fucking mind when those two announced themselves last year, and Raihan right along with it. He’d been half certain it was some sort of practical joke when he’d first gotten the news. His hopes were dashed when Chairman Rose made an official announcement only a couple days later confirming their appointment.

Raihan’s trying to reserve judgement- from the few battles he’s seen, they’re actually fairly strong trainers, to the extent that there’d only been one challenger in last year’s Champion Cup, and they’d swept Piers to boot.

On a personal level though, there’s a less than small part of him that wants to see them ground into the dirt. They’re both smug, holier-than-thou types from the interviews he’s watched, and their insistence on claiming supposed heritance from Galarian royalty hasn’t helped matters in the eyes of the general public. Hammerlocke’s been jumping between new gym leaders for the past several decades now, but those two have turned the city into a laughingstock, and he’s more than a little bit salty about it.

It’s been thirteen years since he’s stepped foot in Galar, but Hammerlocke is still his home. Watching it get dunked on en masse had hurt more than he’d expected, even from an ocean away.

The train slows to a stop, and Raihan forces himself to relax. Rotom beeps softly at him in concern and he grins down at it, closing the displays. He readjusts the egg so its sits more comfortably against his chest, strapped into its carrier.

“Home sweet home,” he mutters idly, snaps a quick selfie, and hauls himself to his feet.

He’d worried, in the weeks and days leading up to his heading home, that he’d overexaggerated Hammerlocke in his mind, missed it fiercely enough to build it up into something it wasn’t. That coming back older, more journeyed will have turned the city dull and dead beneath his feet.

He shouldn’t have worried.

Stone carved and shaped centuries before Raihan was born click softly beneath his feet. The clamor of city living- quieter than Unova, maybe, but raucous compared to Johto- hums around him in soft, rounded syllables. Dark purple and gold, associated once with royalty, accent the streets and buildings that wind their way through the defensive complex. From the parapet that lines the lower walkway Raihan can almost glimpse the northern Wild Area in its entirety, power spots winking like stars in the distance. High above, the Stadium Tower stretches furiously for the sky, wings poised mid-flight and still.

He _doesn’t_ tear up, no matter what Rotom might say otherwise.

The changes stand out more the further into the city he travels, small things that start to add up the more he looks for them. Projections decorate the walls and windows of various structures rather than fliers as he passes, flashing advertisements and news announcements in equal measure. The pennants adorning the outside of the Stadium change with each new gym leader, Hammerlocke’s current crown and scepter design front and center. The Tower itself was modified years ago, albeit not visibly from this distance, to act as an extension of the Energy Plant designed by Chairman Rose.

It’s discomforting and heartening in equal, bewildering measure, being back; for all the differences Raihan spots, _he_ feels like the odd one out, heads turning to goggle as he walks past. He remembers being younger, feet matching brick for brick as he walked. Each step he takes now clears several in one swoop, even walking casually as he is.

He’s just reaching his aunts’ apartment when Rotom starts to ring, a picture of Leon from the last Champion Cup pulling up on the screen. He fumbles for the keys and wrenches the door shut behind him just in time to answer.

“Leon?”

“Raihan!” He hasn’t changed much since the last time Raihan called- it’s only been what, one, two months? They’d messaged and called regularly the first few years after Raihan had left. After that contact had become increasingly sporadic; they’re both remarkably busy people for their age, Leon with his Champions’ duties and Raihan with his training. The lack of phone reception in Blackthorn hadn’t helped matters either.

Regardless, Leon’s still easily recognizable, thirteen years later; same big eyes and purple hair, plus or minus a hundred pounds of muscle and a beard.

“I was in a meeting, but I saw that your plane arrived and I wanted to officially welcome you home! Are you still in Hulbury?” His tone’s buzzing with excitement, brilliant grin stretching his face wide. He’s wearing his stupid cape, the way he only does at public appearances or PR sessions.

“Just stopped back in Hammerlocke, actually,” he says, feeling a smile tug at his mouth to answer. “Figured I’d settle in for the night and head out tomorrow morning, maybe check out the Wild Area before heading over to Turffield.”

“No need to rush! I mean, you’ve got months to make your way through the Gym Challenge, right? Must be weird being home after so long, so why not check out the city while you’re there?”

Raihan huffs with amusement. “You must be real worried about losing the Champion title if you’re that eager to put me off a few days.”

“Oh fuck off,” Leon says, but he’s laughing too, eyes shining from the screen, “I’d like to see you try. You aren’t the only one who’s been training- me and Charizard can take anything you’ve got.”

“Mmm-hmm,” he draws out, slow and disbelieving just to hear Leon audibly snort.

His cheer lasts maybe a moment before there’s the sound of someone speaking off-screen and his smile goes rigid, brows furrowing together as he replies over his shoulder.

His face looks fixed when he turns back to the phone, fingers fiddling with the brim of his cap. “Sorry to cut this short, mate- Rose wants me to come speak with a potential sponsor, but I’ll seen you soon, alright? Let me know when you hit each of the major cities and I’ll stop by if I’m close.”

“I’ll make sure to have Rotom include directions,” he says teasingly, good mode mostly gone but mustering a smile for the other man’s sake. “I’ve missed you, man.”

Leon’s face softens a little at that, the lines around his eyes just slightly easing. “Missed you too, Raihan.” He pauses just before hanging up, leaning close to the camera. “Oh, and make sure to visit Wedgehurst sometime- I’m sure my mum and Professor Magnolia would love to see you now that you’re back.”

And the screen goes dark.

He slumps back against the door with a low exhale, chest tight with unease, before picking himself back up and moving carefully through the apartment.

The apartment hasn’t changed much since he last saw it- a thin layer of dust, some new knickknacks and books, but still the same furniture and general layout. Two bedrooms and one main living area slash kitchen, everything put away and sitting pretty.

His aunts are “vacationing” in Kalos for the year, which really means Aunt Iolana is doing research work while Aunt Merida explores the local cuisine in her wake. They’d argued for nearly an hour when Raihan had insisted they stay put- there’s no point to them coming all the way home just for him to leave on the gym challenge, after all.

He’d made them promise instead to come watch when he won the Champion Cup, and that at least had seemed to lighten the mood and alleviate some of their worry over missing his return to Galar.

He sends off a couple of texts, one to them and one to Malcolm, with a picture he’d snapped earlier of the Stadium Tower against the setting sun and the caption “am BACK baby”.

Aunt Merida responds within minutes, interrupting him unloading his bags with a string of excited emojis and exclamation points, which Raihan takes to mean that the both of them are occupied. That, or she knows him well enough not to overwhelm him with a call. Malcolm doesn’t reply, but that’s no surprise- it’s the middle of the day in Unova, and he keeps his phone turned off during work hours.

It takes him about an hour to get both his bags sorted through and the egg set up in its incubator for the night. Most of the clothes he tucks away in a couple of empty drawers. He’s come to appreciate Johtonian fashion, having worn it now for several years, but it had taken all of one day back in Galar to realize it would only make him stand out even more here.

Not that that’s a bad thing, necessarily. Raihan _likes_ to stand out on occasion, particularly when battling or online. But something tells him it’ll stir less of a wake to blend in a bit when he can, rather than emphasizing how long it’s been.

Not like anyone watching won’t immediately realize he’s been abroad by the first gym leader he faces, but he doesn’t compromise on his team, so whatever.

Kabu had managed it, somehow. That he’d been born and raised in Hoenn had largely helped to bolster his popularity, making him stand out as he burned through the gym challenge and later became a part of it. It’s considered part of his charm even today, makes him a novelty among the other Galarian leaders. Of course, Kabu had also moved years before the board instated rules excluding foreign challengers from the major league, so.

His old bed’s tiny now, so short Raihan has to turn on his side and tuck his knees up to keep his feet from hanging off the end. If he looks up, he can see the faint outlines of posters plastered to the wall- Kabu and Opal are up there, he thinks, along with other leaders who have since left.

There’s a poster of Leon up as well from just after he claimed the Champion title, still young and gangly and starry-eyed. He compares that image with the man on the screen earlier: broad-shouldered and confident, bearing with glad ease the weight of an entire region’s hopes and dreams.

His eyes sting a little bit. It’s a familiar burn in his chest, at least, the age-old discomfort that accompanies change, that’s necessary for growth. Raihan lets himself relax into sleep.


	2. Turffield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First up in Raihan's gym challenge: Milo.

Raihan wakes all at once and spends several moments struggling to reorient himself around the unfamiliar reality of the room he’s in, the smell of musty linens and the ache in his knees from keeping them drawn up for hours at a time.

Galar. Hammerlocke. Home.

Once his mind’s gotten a firm grasp on _that_ concept, he becomes conscious of two far more unpleasant truths: that 1) it’s still dark outside, and 2) his body’s still on Johto time. Which means…

He rolls over to check his phone and groans loud enough to almost definitely wake the neighbors he has vague memories of knowing at one point. A very generous person might call this time of day early morning; for Raihan, this translates to too damn early.

A couple of new messages have arrived since he fell asleep, which is enough to distract him for the moment.

** >Leon (12:27): Forgot to mention earlier, your endorsement papers should be at the front desk of the Motostoke Gym! Make sure to stop there before heading to Turffield.They can get u set up with a uniform too, lmao**

Raihan barely restrains his groan this time and settles instead for letting his head thump back against the headboard. Fucking _uniforms_. Were jackets allowed? He’s getting a jacket. The Galar board can personally bite him for all he cares.

**> Malcom (2:42): conmgrats, kick some ass for me**

He’s attached a blurry photo of his Audino dabbing, which Raihan lets himself grin at.

Speculation’s already picked up in earnest online on which (if any) challengers will make it to the Champion Cup; Raihan wastes some time scrolling through the forums, too awake to go back to sleep but too belligerent at the time to get up properly.

He forces himself out of bed just as the sky outside his window starts to lighten; still early, but if he looks closely he can see the occasional other person out and about, so not unreasonable. The apartment kitchen’s empty, cleaned out thoroughly before his aunts had left; nothing to do but head out, leaving the egg to rest the next few hours in its incubator.

Breakfast is a sandwich served by a teenager who somehow looks even more tired than Raihan feels. He orders the biggest coffee on the menu and they don’t even blink when he asks them to add three extra shots of espresso. He tips them 100% when he leaves.

The city’s waking up by the time he leaves, clouds above smearing over with oranges and pinks and shops opening their doors. If he times this right, with any luck he’ll be in the Wild Area by noon and Motostoke tomorrow morning at the latest.

The attendant at the boutique gives him a discount because a good three-fourths of their selection doesn’t damn well fit him. Nothing he isn’t used to by now, but it does mean he’s going to have to find a decent tailor if he gets invited to anything nicer than a battle. Luckily for them both, he’s really only looking for travelling clothes.

Raihan exits the store a couple of hours later carrying several bags worth of new shirts, tank tops, socks, loose shorts, hiking boots, headbands, and a couple of jackets. He’d gone for simple, solid colors where he could, his already-limited selection limited even further by his own unwillingness to wear anything emblazoned with one of the gym logos. He’ll wait until he gets closer to Circhester to worry about proper cold weather clothing.

His favorite pick’s the second of the two jackets, a dark royal purple piece that zips down the front with gold accents and a large hood. A little gaudy, maybe, but it was clearly fashioned after Hammerlocke and the attendant assures him the style’s very popular in Galar right now.

Which she’s being paid to say, to be fair, but Raihan likes the hoodie enough to take her word for it.

Next up is the salon, operating and open now that the sun’s in the sky. It’s a matter of minutes and a good chunk of money to get his hair trimmed and his undercut neatened, but entirely worth it.

When he’d lived in Blackthorn, one of the older trainees he shared lodgings with cut her own hair. Once a week like clockwork he’d find Amy standing at the lake’s edge, deftly and confidently buzzing the sides and back of her head with an old-fashioned electric razor. She started trimming his hair as well once he worked up the nerve to ask her; they’d become friendly through the sharing of it.

His chest aches at the thought. It’s a modern world, but with how isolated Blackthorn City keeps itself, it might as well be on the moon for how far away he feels.

Travelling supplies, then food, and then hopefully: freedom.

Most of what he winds up needing to buy is cooking supplies, really. The Elders had emphasized the importance of adapting to (and surviving) the elements- his curry skills may be a little weak right now but his camping ability isn’t, and he has the gear to show for it. No tent to worry about, for that matter. Galarian weather’s mild enough to bivouac when he can and rely on tarps when he can’t.

He’ll worry about Circhester when it’s time to go to Circhester, and not a moment before, he tells himself.

A collapsible cooking pot and some basic metal utensils he picks up at the general store, along with some base ingredients that should keep well. Various spice mixes and berries get added to the mix as he wanders between a few smaller specialty shops. He pays a ridiculous amount of money for several high-quality bones from the butcher’s shop. Marrow’s more of a treat than a necessity for his older dragons, but a little spoiling can’t hurt after this big of a transition.

Medicines, enough to top off what he already has to where he feels comfortable entering unfamiliar territory. A few Ultra Balls, just in case.

The Pokemon egg trembles just the slightest bit when Raihan stops back at his apartment, changes clothes, and straps it into its carrier. Eggs are more Malcolm’s specialty than his, but he knows enough to recognize a good sign when he sees one. It brightens him up enough that he’s humming as he repacks his travel bag, tidying up what he can around the apartment before heading for main road.

He grabs food on his way out, something cheap and filling to make up for the dent he can already feel in his wallet. The sun squats dead center in the sky above.

Raihan leaves through the southern entrance to the city, steps into the Wild Area, and takes his first breath of fresh, free air since boarding a plane in Goldenrod.

He’s immediately waylaid by someone, because apparently nothing in Galar is going to come fucking easily to him.

“I’m sorry, sir!” The man in a black and white uniform says, face creasing in what seems to be genuine distress behind a pair of generic sunglasses. “For your personal safety, only authorized individuals and those who can produce three or more gym badges are allowed to enter this portion of the Wild Area.”

When _that_ rule started being enforced Raihan doesn’t know, because he has distinct memories of sneaking through here back when he was _twelve._

“Flying Taxis are available outside each of the Pokemon Centers in the city, and the Train Station-“ Arceus, he’s half tempted to just summon Wedge and fly to Wyndon, challenge Leon right off the bat now if this is what the rest of his journey’s going to look like.

Instead, he taps one of his Pokeballs and releases Rotundra. The man staggers back immediately, hands raised defensively, which is probably the appropriate response when a quarter-ton Mamoswine appears suddenly and without warning in your immediate vicinity.

Rotundra, to her credit, does little more than shake her fur out, eying their surroundings with open curiosity and huffing loudly when Raihan reaches over to scratch behind her ear.

“Yeah, I’m good, thanks,” he tells the man, who’s still remarkably petrified for someone who must see massive Pokemon on a daily basis. “If I die, you just tell your boss I insisted, all right?”

Any reply he makes is immediately drowned out and studiously ignored by Raihan taking leave with haste, Rotundra trotting alongside him.

“Thanks,” he tells her once they’re far enough down the hill to slow a bit. “Hold on just a sec.”

The air goes a little still when he releases the rest of his team- some of the small eyes that had been watching the two of them disappear, while new ones blink into existence.

Wedge recognizes his surroundings more or less immediately and visibly perks up with excitement, wings humming in place. He was caught fairly close by when he was still a Trapinch, Raihan’s first partner Pokemon.

The others take a little longer to come to awareness, still dazed after days spent in their Pokeballs. Wedge is the only one of this party of six to recognize where they are. Dusty was caught and Orville gifted in Unova, and Rotundra and Buzz are both from Johto. Quake's also Galarian, but he was caught in one of the Mines.

“We’re in the Wild Area, the place I was telling you about earlier,” he says, drawing their attention. “Welcome to Galar! We’ve got six months to beat the gym challenge and take the Championship.”

That wakes them up properly, just as he’d intended. Gigalith aren't naturally expressive by human standards, but Quake shuffles his limbs in a way that Raihan knows means anticipation. Dusty grunts, fangs bared and smiling, and beats his large fists into the ground.

He has Rotom project a basic map into the air and zooms in on their location. “This is where we are, and this…” he moves his finger carefully west, “is where the first gym is.

"I'm gonna be alternating which of you guys I use for battles once we hit the official routes, but I don't want to show any of our cards too early to the other challengers. Today we're just getting back in the groove- explore, stretch your legs, get a lay of the land. I'll be taking a train over to Motostoke once it's dark tonight and we'll start on the official circuit tomorrow morning. First gym is grass-type; I’ll let whoever’s gonna be battling know what kind of strategy we’re looking at once we get closer to Turffield."

He'll have to make this up to the others later- he can only release six of his Pokemon before the rest of his Pokeballs autolock. Hyacinth and Thresher are both too large and too mean to leave to their own devices in an area this large, and Nox is naturally nocturnal.

Orville is off like a shot once he wraps up, cycling this way and that with enough force at full speed to make anyone who gets in his way regret it. The others take more time dispersing, stepping close one at a time to check in on the egg and get scratches before wandering away.

None of them go far enough away to make him worry, as expected; they like to keep an eye on him just as much as he does them. 

Rotundra takes it upon herself to watch over Orville from the looks of it. He won't have to worry about wild Pokemon trying anything once he's full evolved; Salamence are apex predators, after all. But for right now, he's one of the smaller members of their team and just proud enough to try and start a fight with anything that looks at him funny. Rotundra's been a bit overprotective of the rest of the team- Orville especially- since she evolved. 

Buzz flies straight to one of the fruit trees in the area and immediately begins scraping off some of the bark to get at the sap; he'll have to remind her not to do it too frequently when they come back for a proper training session. Even a single Heracross can kill healthy trees if they're not careful.

Dusty's off and running, barreling through the tall grass and between boulders with ease. Raihan sees more than a few wild Pokemon scatter in his wake. Quake tromps a little ways off the path and seems to be enjoying the sunlight.

It's just him and Wedge now, and they have the same idea.

It's maybe half an hour to make their way on foot into the Dusty Bowl, giving the occasional Power Spot a wide berth. There are a lot more active than he remembers there being- he frowns, tucks the information away, and ignores it for now.

It's easy enough to find the spot; the air today is clear, gusts of wind stinging the backs of his legs with sand but leaving their vision unobstructed. They find the boulder- and the small den hidden at its base- tucked against the western wall of the Bowl.

It's empty now, of course. The Flygon that once guarded this area and her eggs is long gone. There's no Trapinch to be found here today. 

Raihan looks at the den where he first met his partner, years and years ago, and feels his heart rub raw with affection. He looks at Wedge, all strong, muscled limbs and rough scales, longer tip to tail than Raihan is tall, and remembers being able to hold him in one hand.

"Been a while, huh," he says, and is proud when his voice comes out relatively even. 

Wedge gives him a look, difficult to decipher. Fondness, maybe, and then leans over to rest his face against Raihan's shoulder. Raihan runs a hand carefully along his antennae, and feels- grounded. At ease, with himself and where he is, for the first time since he arrived in Galar, probably. They're good.

And then Wedge straightens, _thwaps_ him gently with his tail, and kicks off into the air, darting gracefully through the sky.

"Yeah, okay." Raihan can take a hint. He starts walking. 

He has to recall his team once the sun starts to set and Noibat begin to glide through the sky, for all their reluctance. He has to promise them they'll come back for a proper training session later in the challenge, most likely before they hit Ballonlea or Circhester.

It's the same person manning the gate when he walks back, and the poor dude looks incredibly relieved once he spots Raihan safe and unharmed.

"Sir, please don't do that again," is the first thing he says once Raihan's close enough.

"Of course," he promises easily, and shoots the man a winning grin and a thumbs-up. He manages to look even more stressed at that somehow. Dude definitely deserves a raise, but that's not Raihan's problem.

The train to Motostoke's even more crowded than the one from Hulbury, though he only has the one bag to worry about. 

He's tired when he boards the train and exhausted by the time it arrives two hours later. He goes to the Motostoke gym, gets his endorsement slip and fucking uniform- the biggest they have, he'll have to cinch it if he ever decides to actually wear the thing- and heads to the Budew Drop Inn for the night, thankfully only a short walk away. Shows the endorsement to the front desk clerk, pays the discounted room rate for challengers, reaches his room, and promptly passes the fuck out once he hits the bed.

The next morning's a rough one, but Raihan pushes through it dutifully, getting mediocre breakfast and coffee from the hotel. He starts to feel better once he reaches Route 3, properly awake with the sound of birds overhead.

There's nothing _technically_ stopping him from taking Wedge and flying straight to each of the gyms, but there's the spirit of the thing.

Besides that, he's not going to let anyone after the fact try and say he cut corners or took it easy on himself. Thousands of people before him have faced the league on foot, hoofing it sun and snow; no reason he can't do the same, and do it better for that matter.

There's something powerful in the act of rediscovering Galar this way as well. The gym challenge is a Galarian tradition centuries old. Doing it the way it was originally intended- the way countless others have done it before him- feels _right_ in a way Raihan can't truly describe.

Route 3's one of the shortest and safest, and a popular spot for the younger trainers of Motostoke. He humors the ones that ask for a battle and has Orville practice his dodging skills, prolonging each fight just long enough not to dishearten his opponent before ending it quickly with Headbutt.

He refuses their money, obviously, but does accept a couple of Oran berries one kid insists on giving him. They'll be useful for making curry tonight if nothing else.

He knows he's coming up on the first Mine when Rolycoly start to appear along the path, scurrying away quickly when they see Orville. He almost steps on a Sizzlipede hidden in the grass when he maneuvers around one, barely avoiding getting a bite to the ankle for it.

Galar Mine 1 is well-lit, well-excavated, and well-explored, which is more than Raihan can say for any of the caves he visited in Johto _or_ Unova.

Doesn't mean there aren't wild Pokemon, though. He releases Nox and laughs when the sight of the Gliscor sends several Timburr scattering. She chitters with excitement and lands on his shoulder, yellow eyes gleaming in the lamplight, before taking off again.

They settle for lunch a little ways in, talk strategy for the Turffield gym, and pick up again an hour later. He lets Nox wander a bit, only calling her closer when she makes a game of sneaking up on the local Woobat and scaring them. 

Orville's remarkably at ease here, navigating the rough ground gracefully. Wild Bagon naturally occur in a cave in Hoenn known as Meteorite Falls; it's no surprise a Shelgon would have an affinity for caverns. What's especially interesting to him, though, is that Orville wasn't caught or even bred in Hoenn- Raihan received him as an egg in Opelucid City.

The thought occupies his mind as he walks, having Rotom snap pictures all the while. 

Sunset falls just as they emerge from the Mine, giving them enough time to stake out a small clearing for camp off the route that night. He brings Dusty out to help with the fire, and the rest once the food is done. The best thing that can be said about the curry he makes is that it isn't burned.

It's warm enough for his team to sleep on the ground around him, Wedge curled up tight against the side of his sleeping bag. It's the end of the first proper day of his gym challenge, and he ends it watching Nox glide through the night sky, backlit by stars.

The next morning dawns overcast, and the rain begins less than an hour into his journey on Route 4.

Raihan draws his hood up over his head and feels his feet _squish_ into soft, dark mud, water streaming down his bare legs unpleasantly. He unstraps the egg and shifts it to the incubator in his bag with a mental apology and recalls Orville.

He tries to look on the bright side. If the weather stays like this, he'll have an advantage against Milo, though he'll need to rethink his battle strategy.

The closer he gets to Turffield, the more and more agrarian the land becomes. There's an old saying, in Galar, that Hammerlocke is the heart of the land, from which the nation was originally born; that Wyndon is the head, from which the ruling body leads; and that Turffield is the hand, by which the nation feeds itself. That's never made more sense to Raihan.

The storms clear before he reaches the town, children and Pokemon alike venturing out to enjoy the fresh sunshine. 

He hears the roar of the crowds before he even steps foot in Turffield, rolling hills dipping to reveal the Stadium at the heart of the town. He stops by the PokeCenter and drops off his team for a check up before heading to the action.

There's a few nervous-looking challengers outfitted and waiting in the main lobby, eyes locked on the screens showing the battle currently taking place. Raihan goes to the front desk. No, Milo is not fielding any additional battles today, _or_ tomorrow, which throws a wrench into his plans.

Finding a seat in the bleacher's easy enough- Turffield's Stadium is the smallest of the bunch but still too large to fill given the population density of the surrounding area.

Milo rotates between a variety of grass-type pokemon between battles. With how many opponents he receives each day, it's really the only way to keep from exhausting or over-stressing any one team. He's using a Cherrim for this battle, which explains the sudden break in the rain, and his challenger's Yamper is running literal circles around it.

Raihan watches.

He has to clamp his hands onto his knees when Milo recalls the Cherrim, energy humming and suffusing his Pokeball, all caught on the big screen. The crowd picks up to a fever pitch until Raihan can't hear anything but the chanting in his ears and the stamp of feet in his bones.

He'd forgotten what it was like, watching a Pokemon _expand_ , thrumming power so potent it makes the hairs of his arms and legs stand on edge. 

The tide of the battle turns after that- the challenger's wrist is bare. His Yamper darts this way and that, chipping away at Cherrim's already lowered health, barely dodging and sometimes not the massive attacks the Cherrim throws its way.

Finally, eventually, the Cherrim hits its damage threshold. A plume of fire breaks the air. The stands are screaming. Its Dynamax form folds in on itself, and it returns to its original size, immediately withdrawn.

The challenger pumps a fist in the air, Yamper howling. He receives his badge to the cheers of the spectators and leaves. Between matches, the big screen shows highlights from the day's earlier battles.

Raihan watches and stays until the last of the challengers has lost and heads back to the PokeCenter, back stiff and head sore.

He sleeps in one of the fields just outside town. The next day, with the Stadium closed and nowhere to go, he does… nothing.

He buys berries and food from some of the local vendors, he updates his social media, he does laundry, he reads up on strategies for each of the different Pokemon Milo's used in the past, but realistically, Raihan does nothing. 

Ten, even five years ago, this sort of waiting would have proven unbearable. Even now his skin feels a little too tight without anything tangible to do. Everything here goes so _slow_ : the people, the Pokemon, time itself. He can't understand the appeal of this sort of living, probably never will, but the people here seem happy enough. It's confounding.

He sends a selfie of himself by the geoglyph to Leon and refuses to be disappointed when he responds with a simple smile emoji.

The next morning, bright and early, he's third in line at the front desk of the Stadium behind a couple of younger challengers and just ahead of a woman around his age in a wheelchair. 

The lady at the desk checks his papers and smiles at him. "An endorsement from the Champion himself, huh? You must be something special- I don't think I saw you at the Opening Ceremony. It usually takes each challenger an hour to complete the gym mission and battle, so please wait here in the lobby until we're ready for you. We're gonna need you to change into your uniform, so if you'd like to head to the changing room-"

"I'm wearing it under my jacket," he lies, grinning easily at her and tossing in a wink for good measure. "I get cold easily, y'know."

She gives him a look like she one hundred percent knows he's bullshitting but can't actually do anything about it, smile a little forced now. "Of course, sir. Good luck!"

He lets the nervous energy of the room roll off him like water off a Ducklett's back, relaxing on one of the couches and keeping an eye on the screens posted to the walls. It's not long before the first battle comes and goes, the challenger sweeping easily with her Corvisquire and beaming as she exits with the badge. Then the next, and then-

Raihan's called in by his number and almost misses it because he forgot he asked Leon to randomize the damn thing. He's ushered into a separate section of the stadium and yeah, okay, he doesn't know what he was expecting for a gym mission from Turffield but apparently he's herding Wooloos now.

The trainer who explains it all to him acts as if he expects Raihan to go chasing after the damn things himself, which- thanks, but no thanks.

Some of the gym trainers at the sidelines groan out loud in disappointment when he calls out Orville and Buzz, and Raihan's pretty sure he sees money change hands at least once. With the two of them herding the Wooloos and knocking out the trainers' Pokemon with ease- Orville with Ember and Buzz with Aerial Ace- Raihan's wrapped up the mission in a tidy twenty or so minutes.

He pauses at the last trainer before the platform that leads to the field. "Do you get most of the challengers to herd 'em themselves?"

"Most of the younger ones, yeah," she admits shamelessly, grinning at him. "Fun to watch them run around. We like to bet on how long it takes before someone realizes. You're earlier than usual- you lost Mark a good chunk of money."

He stops just inside the tunnel and breathes for one moment, two. 

Then he walks, slow and steady, onto the pitch, and the noise is deafening. Grass crunches with every step he takes.

The respect he has for the teenagers who take on the League goes up a few notches- if Raihan wasn't accustomed to attention, the bright lights and weight of hundreds of eyes would be paralyzing.

Milo approaches from the opposite side and Arceus, the dude really is a brick shithouse. He could break Raihan in half with those arms and honestly, Raihan would let him. He's got a soft, inexplicably kind face at odds with the muscle he wears with ease.

They reach the center at the same time and pause, turning to face each other. He knows these steps as if he's walked them a thousand times. Every child in Galar old enough to speak knows these steps.

He turns and oh, Raihan's grinning, cheeks aching from the force of it. The announcer's saying something overhead, but he can't see or hear anything but the opponent in front of him. He's electric, alive, blood pounding in his veins. There's hundreds of faces watching, thousands more eyes, and he was made for this. 

It's time to show them all what he's here for.

The announcer and crowd go quiet for a moment, and Milo speaks, spreading his arms wide. "You must be Raihan! Leon's talked about you before- from what he said and the speed you cleared the gym mission with I'm sure you'll be a tough opponent."

He smiles. "This is the first gym, so we get a lot of challengers, but don't expect me to make it easy for you!" He pulls out a Pokeball, and the battle officially begins. 

As gym leader, Milo calls his Pokemon out first. What emerges from the Pokeball is a small creature with a green body and yellow flower on its head- Gossifleur. 

Raihan unhooks one of the Ultra Balls from his hip and throws. The moment both Pokemon are on the field a protective barrier springs into place, encircling both trainers. It flashes bright purple just once before fading into translucency. 

Nox clicks her pincers together with relish. Even from behind Raihan knows she's smirking at the Gossifleur, fangs carefully flashed to intimidate to the fullest. He doesn't know if it works because at that moment Milo calls out a command and the battle's officially began. 

"In the air, don't let it hit you," he says in response and Nox is already gone. She knows what he has planned- unless something goes seriously wrong, she shouldn't need any further instruction.

Gossifleur can float using air currents, but it moves a lot slower and with a lot less control than its evolved form. Milo seems to understand in an instant that speed won't work- he has his Pokemon put down roots where it stands, providing a way for it to heal itself but also anchoring it to one point. It's doing its best to knock Nox from the air with Razor Leaf, but no dice.

Nox acts without needing his command, shifting into Aerial Ace for additional speed just as Gossifleur (and the crowd) is beginning to grow frustrated. She dives, heading towards Gossifleur, and it begins to use Razor Leaf in earnest, visibly panicked as Nox descends. She's on it within seconds, pincers glowing sickly purple.

Gossifleur's well-trained- it pulls up Protect the split-second Milo calls for it, almost too late for Nox to react. Unfortunately for it and for Milo, Raihan trained Nox just as well. She avoids the barrier neatly, body humming instinctively with Quick Attack to appear behind Gossifleur and the forcefield it created.

She strikes.

One hit, and Gossifleur is down for the count, body limp on the field. 

The Stadium's quiet for a moment, and then the crowd _roars._ The announcer's saying something Raihan can't make out when Milo recalls his Pokemon, face split wide with his smile.

"Woo! You're something else, huh, just like I thought! We're not done yet though!"

Hovering in front of him once again, Nox tilts back to catch Raihan's eye. He grins and gives her a thumb's up. _Good job_ , he doesn't say but she hears. She smirks in response.

Milo pulls out a Pokeball, and the noise of the crowd ratchets up several more levels. 

Energy swirls from the band at Milo's wrist, locking onto the Pokeball in his hand and expanding it. "Better not take any chances this battle- time to Dynamax! You're about to be uprooted!"

The ground trembles underfoot. Raihan has to crane his head back to watch as a silhouette appears and grows and grows and _grows_ , the roof of the Stadium churning with brilliant red energy. It's an Eldegoss, one of Milo's signature Pokemon, and it's as tall as a fully-grown Gyarados is long.

Raihan has a single moment to breathe through the pressure that bears down on him, heart thumping staccato in his chest, before Milo calls out a command and the battle resumes.

"Cotton Spore!"

Eldegoss sways, spins, and releases a cloud of cotton tufts that drift this way and that to quickly fill the whole stadium. It's only the barriers in place around the audience that protects them from getting hit. Nox has to swing quickly into the air, and Raihan can already tell the spores are reducing her maneuverability. It's a smart first move, the kind of thing Raihan could see himself using.

It's preparing for what can only be a Dynamax attack, green energy drawing up from the ground and consolidating around its body.

"Time for our Dynamax move!" Milo shouts, "Better brace yourself- it's Max Overgrowth!"

"Double Team and dodge," he yells in response, duplicate images of Nox filling the air in the instant before Eldegoss releases the attack.

The majority are destroyed within moments, massive seeds tearing through the air and burying themselves into the ground only to sprout and lash at the air. 

Nox takes a hit. She's evading the sprouts and the cotton spores alike, and one of the tendrils clips her, hard, in the wing. It doesn't do much in terms of damage, but it's enough to disrupt her hold on the Double Team and the crowd's chants double as the last of her duplicates disappear. 

One bright side of the situation is that Eldegoss can't move as freely either, and Dynamax moves like that take time to recharge. He has Nox loop around it and pepper it with Sludge Bombs, dodging the Magical Leaves it conjures after her all the while. Eldegoss dodges most of them, or deflects them with cotton spores, but it's taking damage every time one makes contact. 

The energy's beginning to gather around it once more- time to wrap this up.

"Finish it," he says, and Nox recognizes her cue.

She draws closer and the Eldegoss pivots in midair to focus on her. There's a fraction of a second between the energy coalescing at its core and the atack releasing. In that moment Nox moves, faster than she has all battle, with Aerial Ace augmenting her body.

The Eldegoss rears back to deliver another Max Overgrowth, and Nox slices into its center mass, scythes of virulent yellow sinking into its flesh. X-Scissor, super effective against grass types. Raihan thinks he sees her add in a Poison Jab with her tail for good measure; that hadn't been planned, but he can't say he disapproves.

Max Overgrowth is cut short, and with it the Dynamax. Eldegoss' expanded form bursts with a loud booming noise and it shrinks to its original size before Milo recalls it. 

The sprouts occupying the field wither and disintegrate, though great gashes still litter the turf. The psychic barriers lower. The noise level's at its crescendo, and Milo's still smiling.

Raihan's nearly bowled over when Nox lands on his shoulder, curling her tail around his upper arm for balance. 

"Great work," he tells her honestly, and she preens with pleasure. He scratches her just under the chin before returning her to her Pokeball. Milo's waiting for him at the center of the field, thumbing appreciatively at the brim of his strawhat. 

Up close, Milo's roughly the same height as Malcolm, meaning he stands eye-level with Raihan's sternum. Doesn't stop Raihan from admiring the way his forearms flex when he shakes his hand, though. 

"I can definitely see why Leon endorsed you. As proof you've beaten the first gym leader in the challenge, let me present you with your very own Grass Badge!"

Fairly standard stuff and nothing Raihan didn't already know, but he's reluctantly impressed with how much Milo sounds like he means every word. He clips the Badge into place on the thin gold disc he'd received with his uniform.

Milo sets his hands on his hips. "There's seven more gyms to face after this one before you can compete in the Champion Cup. You probably already know there's an order to the way the gyms are challenged. You'll be facing Nessa in Hulbury next; I'd recommend taking Route 5 to get there."

"That's the plan," Raihan said, and adds impulsively, "You ever want to battle once this season's over, no-holds-barred, I'd definitely be down."

Milo's smile widens against all odds. "Sounds like fun! I'll hold you to that."

This might be the genuinely nicest person Raihan has ever met, and it's starting to freak him out a little. That's where they part ways, thankfully, the gym's trainers scurrying onto the field behind him to do clean-up and prepare for the next challenger.

A few people congratulate him in the lobby and he thanks them, shooting a thumbs-up to the woman in the wheelchair as she passes him. 

He's halfway through the front doors when someone shouts his name and he turns, unprepared for the sight of Milo barreling towards him.

"I meant to give you this!" He says, and hands Raihan one of his League cards, as though he couldn't have just as easily had one of his trainers track him down. "Leon has my contact details whenever you're ready for that rematch, but I thought you should have this."

"Thanks," Raihan says, a little overwhelmed. The other challengers are goggling at the two of them. The look on the trainer's face at the front desk tells Raihan this probably happens fairly frequently, actually. 

A thought occurs to him, and he pauses. "Actually, could I get a photo with you?"

He _can_ , and getting the both of them in the same frame is awkward as fuck but they manage it. Milo shakes his hand one more time before heading back in and Raihan walks to the PokeCenter for lack of anything else to do. 

He's still riding the high that comes with a big win when he turns Nox's PokeBall in, like he's walking on air.

The PokeCenter has a couple of couches scattered throughout the lobby for people waiting. He flops down in one and shifts the egg from its incubator into his lap. The shell is smooth under his fingers, light blue patterned on white.

He posts the picture to his social media, tags Milo, and sends it to Malcolm and his aunts for good measure. It's early enough in Striaton City that Malcolm must be getting ready for the day, but he responds nonetheless.

**> Raihan (11:02): [photo attached]**

**> Malcolm (11:03): damn, u already replaced me huh**

Raihan chokes on his drink and has to spend a minute cleaning himself off before he can reply.

**> Raihan (11:05): askjhkjfdshkjdf**

**> Raihan (11:05): we haven't dated in EIGHT YEARS**

**> Raihan (11:06): he's the first gym leader here, just beat him**

**> Raihan (11:07): he made me herd a bunch of wooloos for his gym mission**

**> Malcolm (11:08): honestly, need me a man like that**

The nurse calls him up and he's still grinning when he walks over. Like he expected, Nox gets a clean bill of health. The one sprout bruised her where it struck, but she should be fine within a couple of days as long as she takes it easy. 

The egg's strapped in and he's making his way towards Route 5 when Rotom buzzes one more time.

**> Leon (11:17): Heard you beat Milo!! Congrats!!!!!!**

The air is fragrant with flowers and the sun is warm on the back of his neck when Raihan leaves Turffield and honestly, he feels pretty damn good. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEs I am changing Raihan's team, NO i will not accept constructive criticism on this. Here's his team (and their nicknames) if you missed them:  
> Wedge (Flygon)  
> Quake (Roggenrola)  
> Rotundra (Mamoswine)  
> Buzz (Heracross)  
> Dusty (Unovan Darmanitan)  
> Nox (Gliscor)  
> Orville (Shelgon)  
> Hyacinth (?)  
> Thresher (?)  
> I underestimated how much googling I'd have to do for this fic... shoutout to Bulbapedia, I owe them my life.  
> If you have any questions or opinions or if you notice any errors in the text, please drop me a comment!


	3. Hulbury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reuniting with an old friend, and (maybe?) making new ones.

Raihan spends the first few hours on Route 5 having Orville battle some of the wild fairy-types. It's good practice for Opal's gym and it helps to ease some of his grumpiness over not being used against Milo.

There's a kid who invites him to join him for dinner at a fancy-looking tent set-up in front of the Nursery and Raihan's feeling just good-natured enough to agree. He lets his smaller Pokemon out to socialize for a while as he and the kid (Harrison, apparently) make small talk.

Apparently this camp's a semi-permanent one during the gym season. Harrison's on shift for the Pokemon Nursery, which likes to make sure younger challengers have somewhere to rest and eat after their first gym. It's a nice idea, and one that's smart for a region where challengers are broadcast so frequently. The kid's polite and genuinely interested in Raihan's Pokemon, which is enough for Raihan to decide he likes him. He's keeping an eye on his team as he talks, of course, but he's happy to answer Harrison's (many) questions about their diets and growth cycles as long as it doesn't get too invasive. He even answers a couple of questions about the egg, but thankfully the kid doesn't ask to hold it.

He tries to apologize at one point for prying, which Raihan waves off easily.

"My ex works at a Pokemon Nursery. I'm used to it," he says, and the kid's eyes dart up the hill to the building sitting above them. Raihan nearly laughs.

"In Unova," he clarifies, and the kid visibly brightens.

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to travel. My mom's from Sinnoh."

Someone else joins them just as they're beginning to get the large cooking pot ready. She's a teenager fresh off her win from the Turffield gym and has the badge pinned to her shirt to show it. The curry's textured a little weird from all the berries they add to it but Raihan doesn't complain. He lets each of his team have a little- Nox gets extra as a reward- and adds it to their regular food.

The other challenger volunteers to wash out the pot once they're all done and the leftovers have been divvied up, which means Raihan feels obligated to do the same since Harrison contributed most of the base ingredients for the curry.

"Your battle was really cool," she tells him earnestly as they kneel at the edge of the pond. They're holding the pot in place as her Chewtle spits water to rinse it out. She's so _earnest_ , her and Harrison both. He doesn't remember being half so sincere when he was their age. 

"Your Pokemon, too," she says when he thanks her, "they're so strong- have you done the league challenge before?"

He shrugs and forcefully hauls the cooking pot upright. "Not in Galar," he tells her truthfully, and hauls the pot back over to avoid any further questions.

Her Pokemon sleep in a large cluster with Harrison's that night, young enough still to make friends and trust them quickly. Raihan's curl up around his sleeping bag; they're all (with the exception of Orville) fully evolved and happy to mingle at times but not so fast to make new friends. Just like him, he supposes, listening to the two younger trainers speak softly where their sleeping bags are placed next to each other.

The sky's still dark when he rises, recalling most of his team and navigating his way carefully around the sleeping Pokemon to leave some cash by Harrison's bag. He doesn't know if it's appropriate given the circumstances, but worse comes to worse he'll be long gone soon. 

The bridge here's the longest in Galar, and the sun starts to rise as he's halfway along. 

He sits on the brick parapet that lines the walkway and lets his feet dangle over the edge. He has to shuffle over to make room when Orville makes an inquisitive noise and hops up beside him. Raihan sits, one hand on the egg and the other on Orville's back, and watches the sun rise over the northern Wild Area and Hammerlocke. It's an afterthought when he takes a picture, rising maybe an hour later.

It's a straight shot to Hulbury from here, an hour on foot. Raihan spends most of that walk with Rotom hovering around him, checking the news on the other challengers.

The farthest any of the quickest challengers have reached is the Motostoke gym. No one's won a Badge from Kabu yet, Raihan notes with a grin. He's looking forward to that particular battle.

Hulbury acts as Galar's major nexus for international trade and commerce. Boats from all over the world occupy the harbor, commercial and travel alike. Once again, he can hear distant chanting from the moment he enters the city.

Raihan avoids the gym for now- he'll have time for that tomorrow. For now, he wanders the waterfront, trying to find a relatively private spot away from any vehicles. He winds up near the lighthouse, leaning over the railing as he unclips one of his Ultra Balls and summons the Pokemon within.

When Raihan left Galar at sixteen, he took three Pokemon with him: a Trapinch, a Roggenrola, and a Magikarp.

The Gyarados that rises from the water to face him is all but indistinguishable physically from that Magikarp, but Raihan would recognize Thresher and the irritable look on her face anywhere.

"Hey buddy," he says and leans forward to scratch at her crest. Thresher ducks back and her fins flare, brow furrowing, which means Raihan's definitely in the doghouse right now with her.

"C'mon," he implores, "we both know you're too big for the ponds here. You're out now, aren't you?" Raihan feels a touch of genuine guilt. Thresher had the run of the place at the Dragon's Den, and it's been a couple of weeks now since he's been able to release her from her Pokeball. 

Gyarados tend to vary wildly in size, both regionally and individually. Kanto and Johto varieties typically run the biggest; Lance's Gyarados is unique both in its coloration and in its record-setting height. Thresher runs a little below average here in Galar, but she'd been the smallest by a large margin at Blackthorn. She'd had to fight for her place, and the heavy scarring that mars her dorsal and caudal fins evidences it. 

Thresher huffs loudly, and it's definitely on purpose when Raihan is immediately soaked by the water vapor it produces.

He wrings out his sleeves with a grimace. "You've got the next couple of days to explore, okay? Try not to get into any fights, and be careful with all the boats around. I'll be back tomorrow evening."

She turns and dives in response, and Raihan has to step back quickly to avoid the splash of water that ensues.

"Raihan! Hey, Raihan!"

He doesn't recognize the voice, but he definitely does the shock of red hair that greets him when he turns. Sonia's definitely grown since the last time they saw each other, albeit not by much. 

She hurries towards him, one hand linked with someone he immediately identifies as Hulbury's gym leader and the other waving furiously. It's only said gym leader's timely intervention that keeps her from crashing into Raihan full force. A Yamper skitters after her, circling their legs nervously.

"Leon mentioned you'd gotten tall, but I didn't think he meant this much," Sonia says with a grin, nudging his shoulder with her knuckles. "Look at you! It's been so long!"

"Good to see you too," he replies, amused. It surprised him then and it surprises him now how bubbly she is for the granddaughter of the region's primary Pokemon Professor. "Heard you got your doctorate while I was away."

She beams. "Yep! And you've been training at Blackthorn, right? Leon kept me up to speed, but he didn't mention you had an egg with you! Can I see it?"

He hesitates for just a moment before carefully unclipping the egg and handing it over. He doesn't like the idea of anyone else handling it, but Sonia's one of the few people he can probably trust to know how to do so properly. Besides that, it can't hurt to stay on her good side if she plans to take over as Professor in the future.

"I've never seen this sort of pattern before…"

The woman next to her is largely impassive throughout all this, a small smile gracing her face as she watches Sonia turn the egg this way and that. It's rare for a gym leader to have a professional career outside of battling; Nessa's modelling work helped to bolster her popularity when she first took the Hulbury seat, and she's kept to it in the years since. She's wearing her gym outfit now, body muscled and strong from years of swimming. 

She must notice Raihan watching her, because she offers him a hand with a polite nod. "I'm Nessa, Hulbury's gym leader. I specialize in water-type Pokemon. I'm assuming you're in the city for a battle, then?"

"Yep," he says and tilts his head. "I heard cheering from the Stadium earlier. I'm surprised you can find time to get away from the gym this early in the league challenge."

Her expression doesn't change, though her eyes shutter a little. "I'm on my lunch break."

 _And on a date_ , Raihan realizes, and winces sympathetically. 

Sonia gasps and hands the egg back over hurriedly. "That's right! We were going to get lunch at the Captain's Table. Sorry to cut this short, Raihan- it was great to see you again! I'll see you later, okay?"

"You got it," he agrees. "Nice meeting you, Nessa."

She gives him a flat look. "You too. Make sure your Gyarados doesn't cause any trouble in the harbor while you're here."

"No promises," he says easily and gives her a thumbs-up and a grin. She rolls her eyes at that, but it looks like the corners of her mouth are twitching up, so he counts it as a win. 

He starts to feel hungry himself watching them walk away, so he sets to wandering the city once they're out of eyesight. The market square near the dock is an explosion of sounds and smells, booths hawking everything from handmade Pokemon toys to local delicacies.

Raihan buys fish and chips from a stand offering a variety of seafood and eats as he browses. A lot of the merchandise is oriented around the gym leaders, Nessa especially. Raihan even spots a couple bootleg posters of Leon and takes a surreptitious photo of them.

** >Raihan (1:14): [photo attached]**

**> Raihan (1:14): it u**

**> Leon (1:16): it me!!**

**> Leon (1:17): Rose must not have seen those last time he was in Hulbury, he gets real angry about people selling unofficial merch lmao**

**> Raihan (1:18): good 2 kno**

**> Leon (1:18): you challenging Nessa today?**

**> Raihan (1:19): tomorrow i think**

**> Leon (1:19): nice!!! Good luck- her Drednaw's a real beast!**

Hulbury's bigger than Turffield but tiny next to Motostoke or Hammerlocke. Raihan feels like he's explored the city as much as he'll ever want to after a couple of hours. A small hotel, the Oil Lanturn, sits next to the Hulbury train station; he goes ahead and gets a reservation for the next couple of nights.

He checks into his room immediately and spends the rest of the day on the bed, watching the official livestream from the Stadium a few streets down and going over strategy with his team. 

Even when he arrives early the next morning, the wait at the Hulbury gym is even longer than the one at Turffield; it's early afternoon before he can start the gym mission. The lobby's full to bursting again. Raihan even recognizes some of the other challengers from the Turffield gym. He listens to their small talk with half an ear, most of his attention devoted to the battles taking place onscreen.

He's itching to get a move on by the time they call his number and almost groans when he realizes the gym mission is a _puzzle_. It's not difficult, just tedious. He's thankful for the trainer battles, which break up the monotony of walking back and forth to various switches. 

The roar of the crowd feels familiar now, even as it sets his nerves alight. The retractable ceiling that covers the Stadium is down today, and sweat springs to the back of his neck as he walks forward.

Here, with hundreds of eyes on them, Nessa's remarkably professional, a smile on her face. "Welcome, gym challenger, to the Hulbury Stadium! The gym mission here emphasizes planning and analytical thinking. I look forward to seeing what kind of strategies someone who beat it can come up with, especially someone I've heard so much about."

The field here is spiderwebbed with shallow pools of water just deep enough for a Pokemon to dive, a peculiarity unique to Hulbury's Stadium. Nessa summons her first Pokemon, an Arrokuda, into the largest of these pools on her side of the turf. 

Orville emerges onto the field and locks onto the Arrokuda in an instant, stamping his feet with anticipation.

Their strategy's simple for this first part of the battle. Orville rolls circles around the body of water Arrokuda's in, shooting the occasional Ember and Dragon Breath into the water and dodging the Aqua Jets Arrokuda sends back in return. 

Arrokuda grows impatient with this quickly. Orville draws close to the edge of the pool and it shoots forward and out of the water, jaws wide and teeth flashing.

This is what they've been waiting for. Orville swerves to the side at the last second and strikes, Headbutting it with the full force of his body and sending it flying. Arrokuda is unconscious before it hits the ground.

"Interesting," Nessa says as she recalls her Pokemon and tilts her head. "That's a dragon-type Pokemon, isn't it? You used a foreign Pokemon against Milo as well, if I recall correctly."

He shrugs in response- he's acutely aware of the cameras circling them as they speak

The next Pokemon Nessa releases isn't confined to the water, a Wingull Orville has to tilt back to watch circle in the air.

"Ice Beam," Nessa calls out and Raihan whispers a swear under his breath. 

Orville whips across the field the moment the Wingull ducks through the air towards him. There's several minutes of the two of them dodging and attacking in turn, ice slowly spreading across the ground to encapsulate the turf. 

It only takes one slip in a match like this.

Orville hits a slick patch and skids, and it gives Wingull just enough time to hit him directly with Ice Beam. 

The hit's a solid one, and would easily taken out a weaker Pokemon. Orville gives as good as he gets, though, and shoots off a burst of energy the second after impact that knocks the Wingull out of the air and the battle.

Orville's still standing, but the Ice Beam takes its toll. He's shivering where he stands, frost lacing his hide around the contusion, and he's noticeably slower when he rolls to take his place once more in front of Raihan. One more good blow and he'll be out for the count; the best they can hope for now is him landing a decent strike before that happens.

Nessa's next Pokemon is a given. The crowd's roaring even before she summons her Drednaw, a real monster of the species. Its hide is tough, its shell even tougher. If that wasn't enough, its also got one of the strongest bite force of any Pokemon.

"Stay away from the head- try and hit it from the side," Raihan orders and Orville complies, rolling this way and that, looking for a weak point.

He won't find one, of course, but it's more about presentation than anything. Building up tension, putting the other Pokemon on edge. The effect is ruined somewhat by the damage he's already taken; Drednaw tilts its head to watch him go by, body deceptively still but tracking him with sharp, mean reptilian eyes. When Orville lunges for its back leg, it's ready.

It swings just as Orville _leaps_ and lands on its other side, jaws snapping audibly on empty air. A perfectly executed feint.

Orville turns and strikes, slamming into its unprotected side full force with Zen Headbutt. Drednaw bellows with rage, knocked off balance and staggering, and whips its head to the side just as Orville moves to spin away.

He almost manages to escape unscathed, but. He's injured and slowed, and the Drednaw's faster than it has any right to be for its size. 

Its jaws _clamp_ on Orville's back right leg, and ice crystals explode across the surface of his body. He thrashes for just a second before going limp. Ice Fang's super effective, and Orville's knocked cold. 

The announcer's yelling as Raihan withdraws him, taking a moment with the Pokeball in hand to tell him, "You did good. Get some rest."

He looks up to see Nessa recall her Pokemon as well, Dynamax Ball in hand. Their eyes meet. Realistically, this match is as good as won- even with Dynamax, Nessa's on the last member of her team, while Raihan has five more clipped to his belt and raring to go. She's smiling now, though, and there's a spark in her eyes Raihan respects. 

"Let's wash them away, Drednaw! Time to Dynamax!"

The air turns electric and the ground trembles as one massive clawed foot after another slams into the turf and the Dynamaxed form of Drednaw takes shape.

Raihan gives the stadium just a moment to settle before summoning Buzz. The Heracross does a double take at the Pokemon in front of her and actually takes a step back before remembering where she is. She assumes a fighting stance, elytra shifting to make way for her wings, poised to take flight at a moment's notice.

Drednaw's jaws slip open, and a warning hum fills the air as energy coalesces at its throat.

"Dodge!" But Buzz is already moving, slicing through the air and away from the _blast_ of water that issues from Drednaw's maw. It turns its head to follow her, and at one point the attack hits the forcefield protecting Raihan. The barrier trembles and whines, but it holds. Water soaks the turf, sitting an inch thick on the grass behind the forcefield by the time Drednaw finishes. 

Buzz has survived unscatched but lands quickly, panting, onto the field. Heracross aren't the fastest of fliers; Buzz only escaped being clipped by using Aerial Ace a couple of times. They'll have to work on her air mobility next time they train.

For now, though, it's time to even their odds. "Sunny Day!"

Buzz spins in place, energy swirling around the tip of her horn before consolidating and shooting into the sky. She darts back as Drednaw swings its head forward, attempting to catch her as it did Orville.

The whole arena feels it when Sunny Day takes effect, the sun overhead bearing down and the air growing steamy. Raihan rolls the sleeves of his jacket up and unzips the front; across from him, Nessa's unphased, though her skin grows slick with sweat. She's probably the most comfortable of anyone here in her gym uniform.

Drednaw squints against the sunlight, hide drying and steaming as the moisture from its skin evaporates.

Buzz's wings flash and gleam in the light when she takes off again. She approaches Drednaw head-on, a strategy apparently rare enough to make it hesitate between attacks as she approaches. 

That's all she needs to slip beneath its sizable head and _slam_ the underside of its jaw up with her horn, forcing its maw shut with a loud _snap_ that echoes throughout the stadium.

Drednaw sways in place, dazed. Buzz dances back and prepares to attack one last time.

Nessa's yelling- for a moment, its eyes clear, and its head begins to tilt back to focus on Buzz, lancing down this time from above.

It's not fast enough. Buzz rears back and _punches_ with the full force of her momentum, Brick Break striking Drednaw's skull just to the side of its crest and between the eyes, where its platelike hide forms a seam. 

Drednaw's chin hits the ground and its form explodes, gusts of winds bursting forth and sending Buzz flying back. 

Raihan knows exactly when the forcefields protecting them disappear because the water on the ground immediately surges forward, soaking through his shoes. It's an unpleasant slosh forward, first to congratulate and recall Buzz and then to shake Nessa's hand.

"Incredible," she says, grip firm. "I think I understand, now, why so many people are excited about you. You've earned this."

The Water Badge glitters in the sun, clipping neatly into place above the Grass Badge.

She shakes her head, smiling once more. "Take this as well- it seems only fair you should learn about me, since I've heard so much about you. Keep this streak up and you're going to want to make one of your own."

She extracts one of her League cards from the pouch at her hip and hands it to him.

"You'll be facing Kabu next. That will be an interesting match, one I'm sure he'll be looking forward to."

"So am I," he says honestly. Her smile widens at that.

The noise level in the arena is finally dying down. Nessa gives him a final nod, and they turn to leave in opposite directions.

He makes it out of the Stadium this time before being ambushed, a short blur with red hair swooping in to hug him before he has time to react. "Raihan! That was such a good battle! I could tell Nessa really enjoyed herself."

Sonia's face is flushed when Raihan gently extricates himself, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I enjoyed it too," he says, and means it. 

He pauses. "You heading back to Wedgehurst?"

"Ballonlea, actually," she sighs, thumbing at the strap of her duffel bag. "Gran wants me to take some samples of the fungi there. She wants to know if the Power Spot is responsible for how big the mushrooms get, or if it's something else."

"Sounds cool," he lies. 

"Yeah. I would've liked to stay longer and hang out some more with Nessa, but…"

"I can't imagine the Professor's an easy person to say no to."

"It's even _worse_ when she's your grandmother," she says with a groan. "I'm glad I got to see you and your battle, though. Here, give me your phone."

Rotom zips over to where she pulls her own phone out, and the two beep after a moment in synchronization. 

"There," she hums, "now we've got each other's numbers. Message me whenever you decide to stop by Wedgehurst- you can come stay with Gran and me for a night. Leon's family would probably love to see you as well."

"His brother's taking on the gym challenge in a few years, right?"

She frowns, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she thinks. "Hop? Should be next year, if I've got my math right."

He slaps a hand to his chest, gasping loudly. "They grow up so fast. He was still a toddler last time I saw him."

Sonia laughs. "He's still got purple hair, just like his brother, so he won't be too hard to recognize. He's already catching up to me in height, though. I told Nessa I'm going to need to buy some higher heels at this rate."

Raihan doesn't know how she's walking _now_ with the heels she has on, let alone how they can get taller. 

Her phone beeps once loudly and she swears, tilting her wrist to glance at her watch. "I have to get going, the train to Hammerlocke leaves soon."

"Does Ballonlea not have a train station?"

"Of course not, that would be _too easy_ ," she groans. "I should be getting hazard pay for all the hiking Gran has me doing. Say hi to Leon for me when you see him?"

"You got it," he nods, and lets her pull him in for one last awkward hug before she runs off in the direction of the station.

There's one thing left for Raihan to do here. He takes a quick selfie in front of the Stadium, drops off Orville and Buzz at the Pokecenter, and heads to the lighthouse.

The sky's a gorgeous gradient of pinks and purples by the time Thresher emerges, long enough for his post on social media to accumulate hundreds of likes and for both Leon and his aunts to congratulate him on his win.

She's calmer now, leaning her head close enough for Raihan to reach out and run a hand along her crest, eyes slipping shut.

"I know," he says. "I'm sorry. Once we're past this next gym, we'll spend some time in the Wild Area, and you can explore all you want, I promise."

She rumbles low in her throat and doesn't protest when Raihan summons her back into her Pokeball. 

The Pokecenter's keeping Orville overnight for additional monitoring, but the nurse on duty says he should be fine, if a little bit weak, by tomorrow. They're keeping him warm and hydrated as he recovers from both his wounds and the cold. Buzz they return to him then and there, since she took no damage during the fight.

He stays his last night at the Oil Lanturn, retiring to bed early, and is up as the sun rises the next morning, trekking out of Hulbury and into the tunnel that leads to Galar Mine 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter.... difficult. Raihan's Pokemon mentioned here are:  
> Orville (Shelgon)  
> Thresher (Gyarados)  
> Buzz (Heracross)  
> Nox (Gliscor)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping to explore some of the world lore in a little more depth here, so if anyone sees something contradictory to canon, please let me know! If it wan't intentional I'll do my best to fix it; please be patient, as I have only one brain and there's like nine generations of Pokemon to remember now.


End file.
